Gay Student 'Branded' in Bias Attack

An openly gay college student in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was assaulted with searing hot metal by a man who seemingly targeted him for his sexual orientation, the Huffington Post reported on April 12.

University of North Carolina student Quinn Matney was walking on campus at about 3 a.m. when the April 4 attack took place. Matney was standing near a footbridge when the attacker bolted from a nearby bench and grabbed Matney's arm. The assailant reportedly told Matney, "Here's a taste of hell, you fucking fag," as he pressed hot metal into Matney's left wrist, inflicting such a serious burn that Matney now says he has lost sensation in his thumb.

Matney struck back, punching the man. The assailant then took to his heels.

According to an April 12 story at UNC student newspaper the Tar Heel, reported that the injury Matney sustained included third and fourth degree burns that damaged nerves and tendons.

The article also said that the assailant was accompanied by two other men, and that all three appeared to be drunk. Matney said that he had seen the attacker before, always in the same spot. The assailant was described as being about 19 years old, Caucasian, and 5' 9" with a "large build."

Matney had stopped to chat with an acquaintance he knew by sight, but not by name, when the alleged attack occurred. The article said that Matney was hoping to contact the acquaintance, who could then corroborate his version of events.

The leader of a student GLBT organization was critical about the lack of response from the university's administration, which did not issue comment on the incident until a week later--and after an Alert Carolina posting appeared about the alleged attack.

"A very blatant hate crime against a GLBT individual occurred on this campus, and we only heard about it by word of mouth," said the co-chair of UNC's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Straight Alliance, Jeff DeLuca.

The next Thursday meeting of the group will include a forum to address the incident, DeLuca said.

An April 11 report at local news channel NBC-17 included a photo of the burn wounds that Matney suffered. Two circular, penetrating burns, somewhat smaller around than dimes, appeared to affect an area about two centimeters long just under the heel of Matney's left hand.

The article said that secondary effects from the burn included an infection that got into the student's blood.

"I tried to get away. He didn't let go," Matney told the news channel. "He didn't let go 'til I punched him full in the face."

Tar Heel readers left mostly supportive commentary at the student publication's website.

"Whether you're in Provincetown or Mobile, arm yourself," one reader advised. "You don't need a gun, just something, combat training, pepper spray, anything." Added the reader, "The first step to prevent an attack starts with yourself and no one else."

"It is a sickening failure on the part of the university to have left the community uninformed about this horrific attack for almost a week," another reader posted. "What's even more sickening is that the only reason UNC didn't release information sooner seems to be because of the victim's sexual orientation."

One commentator questioned whether the attack had really happened, or whether it might be a hoax.

"We are to assume the attacker, with the intent of committing a hate crime, intentionally waited at a bench until 3 in the morning?" the posting read. "The fact that a man who the victim claims to be unable to recognize somehow is aware of his sexual orientation?

"While I know this accusation will receive large amounts of backlash, it is not inconceivable that Matney's burns were self-inflicted as a means of raising attention to an issue that is important to him, although in this case nonexistent," the posting continued. "Already the UNC community has reacted strongly in opposition to hate crimes, as Matney could have conceivably planned and intended it to."

"To suggest that Quinn did this to himself is disgusting," responded another reader. "I saw a photo of the burn itself, not just the bandage. It is a 3rd and 4th degree, and a very nasty one--someone does not simply inflict such an injury upon oneself, and certainly not in an attempt to create some imaginary story of a hate crime.

"To speculate that Quinn self-inflicted the burns is NOT a reasonable discussion question, but a purposeful attempt to discredit him simply because he is gay," continued the posting.

"I think it's up to university officials and the police to decide whether this story is true or false, not those of us in the peanut gallery who have limited knowledge of what occurred," another reader opined. "And since both the university and the police have already taken a week to investigate this, and they have come out supporting Quinn, it's pretty clear that this is not some made-up story, but rather a real and scary incident."

When the administration did address the alleged attack, the university's chancellor informed students that the university is reporting the attack to federal authorities as a hate crime.